Catheter systems have been used for internal delivery of treatment devices and drugs. Such systems have been used with minimally invasive surgical procedures, such as key-hole surgery.
Current catheter systems often use guide wires to position the treatment devices and drugs within the body. Effective use of current systems requires some skill to maneuver the guide wire with accuracy and precision.
Electro-active polymers can be used in devices that can exert forces or execute movements upon external stimulation, e.g., electrical current. Electrical current causes relative volume change of the electro-active polymer resulting in movements such as bending, expanding or contracting. Some are made of a bi-layer of a conducting polymer and a carrier substrate, e.g., a metal or a polymer. These devices can have lateral dimensions ranging from micrometers to centimeters and layer thickness in the range of nanometers to millimeters. Additional information concerning electro-active polymers and their application are described in International Publication Nos. WO 96/28841, filed Aug. 3, 1996; WO 00/78222, filed Jun. 18, 2000; WO 03/39859, filed Jun. 11, 2002; and WO 04/92050, filed Apr. 8, 2004, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,399, filed Dec. 30, 1997 and issued Aug. 25, 2000; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,933,659, filed May 5, 2004 and issued Aug. 23, 2005, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.